The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and should not be construed as constituting prior art.
The use of orthopedic fastening devices, such as bone screws, has greatly aided the medical field in the treatment of bone fractures. More particularly, when treating bone fractures, it is often generally necessary to surgically reposition fragmented bone members in various anatomically acceptable orientations. To fasten the repositioned bone members together in order to facilitate the healing process, bone screws are often used as part of the stabilization process (e.g., either by fastening two or more bone members together, or by securing an orthopedic appliance or bone plate to the bone's surface). Sometimes it is beneficial to orient the bone screw at an angle that is non-collinear to the orthopedic appliance's threaded hole during the stabilization process—for instance, to avoid poor bone stock or fracture lines.
One variable angle locking washer assembly includes two spherical shaped stacked washers having a spring functioning member positioned therebetween. When a screw is used to install the assembly to a humeral plate, the spring member presses the two outer washers against the walls of the plate material, thereby providing friction to securely hold the washers in place as the bone screws are tightened. One drawback to this three-piece design, however, is that there are three separate components which must be assembled in a specific orientation to the humeral plate. As these components are fairly small, the assembly operator must pay close attention when performing the assembly. There is a need for a variable angle locking assembly that is not only easy to manufacture, but is also easy to use and manipulate as part of a stabilization process.
The present invention is intended to improve upon and resolve some of these known deficiencies within the relevant art.